Back to Work/Type 1 Design

So this summer has been an interesting one on the diabetes front. I have tried different ways of eating, exercising and my weight fluctuated quite a bit. Starting a new school year will help with my consistency with a lot of aspects in the everyday life. One thing that gets added to the mix is stress.

Stress seems to really throw the blood sugar levels on a roller coaster. No stress and things are pretty good. A bit of stress and things are upside down. I wonder if I eat more when the stress is present. It is just time to tight things up again.

Nutrition wise, I am going to try to stay with a low carb way if eating. My best control is when I do this. Unless I am going to do some very strenuous activity, I am going to keep the carbs in the 30 to 70 gram range. For those more strenuous days, I will probably be around 100-150 grams. It seems the more I read about the diabeetus, the more conflicted I become. 

On a different topic there is a company that makes shirts for type 1 research that donate proceeds to the JDRF. The company is called Type 1 Design. The shirts are quality shirts with some creative designs. I received the two I ordered yesterday. Prices are good and the money goes to a cause I care about. http://www.type1design.com/

Here's my shameless plug: I can be followed on Instagram through breakingdiabetes. I post my workouts along with blood sugars and post workout meals. 

A Big Directional Change

After a lot of thought and frustration, I started up with a new endocrinologist that is local. 

The main reason I went was to get a meal plan figured out. What my doctor told me was to keep veggies and fruit the main source of food. Protein and carbs should fill out the rest of my diet. 

The confusing thing here is how I read all the time that insulin is such a bad thing from so many sources. As a diabetic, I know I need it. It is all so confusing sometimes.

On a training note, I have decided to let go of powerlifting for the moment. This summer I have only been lifting heavy and I feel less athletic and very beat up. I have introduced more CrossFit style workouts and I feel pretty good. The addition of more carbohydrates is a huge piece to this as well. 

To be successful with the new way of eating I have decided to use the Zone as a guideline. I am eating far more veggies and fruit as I was before. It's all about keeping the food choices as natural and healthy as possible.

Here are the workouts I have done this last week that have made control very easy.

Daily Doubles Flashback

I can't help but to write about football daily doubles this time of year. Balancing an immune disease with the amount of exertion that is required to handle daily double practices or other similar activities is very difficult. 

When I was in high school, the knowledge that I had of my disease was very limited. Talk about a lack of control! I probably averaged around a blood sugar of at least 200. As my control has improved over the years, I could not physically handle that. I look back and wonder how my performance could have been better if my numbers were better. I dealt with highs and lows on a daily basis. 

In college, I was a bit better because I tested more often. I still wasn't where I should have been. Practice was more strenuous and this beat me down. Staying illness free was very difficult. I just assumed that it was due to the difficulty of the practices. I always thought that everyone was in better condition than me because they didn't seem as run down as me. This is not supposed to be a pity party. Did my disease hold me back? Maybe, but I can't think like that. 

Diabetes was my motivation in these times of my life. I was out to prove people wrong. I was out to prove my disease wrong. 

As an adult, my mindset is different. Instead of proving my disease wrong, it's about working with it. No matter how bad I want it to just go away, it's not going to anytime soon or ever. What I can do is be diligent about the choices I make physically and dietary wise. The better I treat my disease, the better it will treat me. 

Back to Control

This summer it seems I have tried everything under the sun diet wise to try and keep control of my blood sugars. Unfortunately, it has not worked very well. 

Not being strict has caused me to increase insulin levels, energy lagged and body weight increased. These three things are important to be able to control. When they are I feel better. As simple as that. 

Every time I seem to change or try to change things, I always revert back to a  minimal   carb diet. The ultra low carb diet makes control much easier.

On the exercise arena, I have switched from nothing lifting to a more rounded routine that includes all realms of fitness. The CrossFit Games was a major influence. I like to feel athletic and that's what CF did for me in the past. 

I have to make sure I stay consistent.